Keyless clock.



W. J. SMITH.

KEYLESS CLOCK.

APPLICATION mso MAY 12. I916.

Patented May 15, 1917.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM 3'. SMITH, OF V/ATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR T WATERBURYCLOCK CO., OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION.

KEYLESS CLOCK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. SMITH, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria-Hungary, residing at Waterbury, in the county of New Haven andState of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improve ment inKeyless Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings and 19 the characters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this application,and represent,

Figure 1 a view in front elevation of a keyless clock constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 a sectional View thereof on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 a view of the clock in front elevation with the clock-movementand the winding-and-setting ring removed.

Fig. 4 a detached View in front elevation of the clock-movement, showingthe wind- 25 ing-and-setting ring applied to it in proper position. I

Fig. 5 a sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 a broken sectional View on the line 30 66 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 a detached view partly in section andpartly in elevation of thewinding-arbor and the several parts mounted thereon.

My invention relates to an improvement in that class of keyless clocksin which winding and setting is eifected by means of awinding-and-setting ring confined to rotary movement in eitherdirection, and brought into play for setting by means of a manuallyoperated device instead of by moving the ring laterally to connect itwith the dial work of the clock, the object of my present inventionbeing to produce a simple, reliable and durable clock of the characterdescribed.

With these ends in view, my invention consists in a keyless clockcharacterized by having a clutch interposed between thewindingand-setting ring, the winding train and the dial-work andmanually operated to connect the said ring with the dial-work and tobreak connection with the said windingtrain. My invention furtherconsists in a keyless clock having certainv details of con- 55 structionand combinations of parts as will Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 1917.

Application filed May 12, 1916. Serial No. 97,053.

be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims. 7

In carrying out my invention as herein shown, I employ a converting-cone12 mounted to have rotary and sliding movement upon the reduced forwardportion 13 of a winding-arbor 1 1 journaled in the rear movement-plate15 and in the dial-back 16. The said cone 12 is provided upon itsforward end with integral gear-teeth 17 forming a. combinedwinding-and-setting pinion always in mesh with the internal gear-teeth18 of a winding-and-setting ring 19 confined to rotary movement ineither direction and applied to the front of the clock, as will bedescribed later on, so as to be conveniently grasped for being rotated.At its inner end, the cone 12 is formed with one member 20 of a ratchetor face-tooth clutch, the complementary other member 21 of which isnonrotatably mounted upon the said winding arbor 14 which is squared asat 22 to hold it against rotation thereupon. A helical spring 23interpose between the dial-back 16 and the forward end of the cone l2exerts a constant effort to maintain the said clutchmembers 20 and 21 inengagement, the forward end of the cone being formed with an annularrecess 24C for the reception of the inner coils of the said spring. Atits inner end, the winding-arbor 14 is squared as at 25 for thereception of a winding-pinion 26 meshing into an intermediatewinding-pinion 27 (Fig. 5) held against reverse rotation by a pawl 28and meshing into the main winding-wheel 29 on the main winding-arbor 30which mounts a spring-barrel 31 within which the main spring is located.

The winding-and-setting pinion gearteeth 17 before mentioned, are madewide enough to also mesh without being demeshed from the internalgear-teeth 18 of the ring 19, into a pinion 32 (Fig. a.) rotating with apinion 33 on a stud 34: in the front movement-plate 15*, the said pinion33 meshing into the wheel 35 of an ordinary dial-train which need not,therefore, be described in detail.

Normally the helical spring 23 maintains the clutch-member 20 inengagement with the clutch-member 21, and as the combinedwinding-and-setting gear-teeth 17 are al.- ways in mesh with theinternal gear-teeth 18 of the winding-and-setting ring 19, the clock isnormally in adjustment for winding,

which is done by rotating the ring 19 from left to right, or in theclockwise CllleCtlOl'l. If the ring 19 is reversely rotated, "ratcheting back, so called,-will take place, the faceteeth of the clutch-member20 riding over the face-teeth of the clutch-member 21.

For the purpose of utilizing the ring 19 for setting, I employ a manualconvertinglever 36 bearing upon the front faceof an annularmounting-flange 37 soldered, to an annular flange 38 formed upon theopen front end of the cup-like cylindrical clockcase 39, the said flange37 being furnished with screw-holes 4:0 for fastening the clock tothecowl-board of an automobile. The said convertingdever 36 is hung upona pin 41 and projects inward through a slot 42 in a'bearing-ring 43soldered to the front of the mounting-ring 37 and forming a bearing forthe inner face of the windingand-setting ring 19 as seen in Fig. 2. Thesaid lever 36 is located in the plane of the saidflange 37 and isinterposed between the same and the ring 19 at a point below the centerof the ring. The outer end of the said lever 36 is furnished with anoperating-button 14, while its projecting inner end is formed with a cam45 arranged toengage, when the lever 36 is swungfrom right to left onits pivot 11, with the beveled face $6 of the cone 12 so as to force thesame forward against the tension of its spring 23, whereby theclutch-members 20 and 21 are disengaged and the winding train cut out ofplay, as it were, and whereby the gear-teeth 17 without being demeshedfrom the internal gear-teeth 18 are brought into mesh with the teeth ofthe pinion 32 which drives the dial-work. The rotation of the 1 0:winding ring 19 in one direction or the other now serves to operate thedial-work for setting the hour and minute hands 47 and 4-8. During thissetting operation, the converting-lever 36 must be manually held in itssetting position, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 3, against thetension of its spring 49 which is riveted to the inside of theclock-case 39 (Fig. 6) and which has its free outer end hooked under anarm 50 at the inner end of the lever 36. The spring 49 operates torestore the said lever 36 to its retired position as soon as the hand isremoved from it, when the helical spring 23 acts to push the cone 12inward and rengage the teeth of the clutch-members 20 and 21, wherebythe clock is restored to adjustment for winding, and whereby the teeth17 are demeshed from the pinion 32, thus cutting the dial-work out ofplay.

As shown, the winding-and-setting ring 19 has its forward endinternallythreaded for the reception of the externally threaded flangeof the bezel 51 which mounts the glass or crystal 52 and the dial-mat53, all of which rotate with the winding-and-setting ring 19 into whichthe bezel may be said to merge so as to give the appearance of being inthe same'piece therewith. For securing the ring 19 iii-place, I utilizethe dial-back 16 which in turn is connected with the clockmovement inthe usual manner, the rear face of the edge of the dial-back beingengaged with a bearing-shoulder 5e within the ring 19 the inner edge ofwhich is formed with a guide rib 55 entering a corresponding annulargroove 56 in the forward face of the bearing-ring 43.

of, of a rotary winding-and-setting ring having an internal gear, meansfor connect- .ing the internal gear of the said ring with the saidwinding-train and with the said dial-work, including a winding-arbor-mounting a winding-pinion in mesh with a member of the saidwindingrtrain, a clutch mounted upon the said winding-arbor and having.a sliding member co-acting with a member of the dial-work, and meansfor manually operating the said sliding-clutch member.

2. In a keyless clock, the combinationl with the Winding-train anddial-workthereof, of a rotary winding-and-setting ring having aninternal gear, connections between the said ring, winding-train anddial-work including an arbor, a cone slidably mounted thereupon andprovided with winding-andsetting gear-teeth, a two-part face clutch onemember of which is carried by the said cone andthe other member of whichis fixed to the said arbor, a spring for normally maintaining the saidclutch-members in engagement; and means for shifting the said cone .uponthe said arbor against the tension of the said springso as to separatethe said clutch-members and cut out the Windingtrain and bring thewinding-and-setting teeth of the cone into operative relation with thedial-work.

3.'In a keyless clock, the combination with the winding-train anddial-work thereof, of a rotary winding-and-setting ring having aninternal gear, connections between the said ring and winding-train anddial-work, including a rotary arbor, a cone slidably and rotatablymounted thereon and provided with winding-and-setting gear teeth, atwo-part clutch one member of with the winding-train and dial-worktherewhich is carried by the said cone and the lever adapted to co-actwith the said cone other member of which is fixed to the said forsliding the same upon the said arbor arbor for rotation therewith, and aspring so as to disengage the members of the said for normallymaintaining the said clutchclutch and bring the winding-and-settingmembers in engagement, whereby the movegear teeth of the cone intoconnection with ment is maintained in adjustment for windthe dial-work.

mg; and a manually operable convertlng- WILLIAM J. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. O.

